Department of Interior Secretly Planning Native Hawaiian Recognition Since 2012
Court Guts Atheist Lawsuit Against Oahu Churches
The Climate Moe'uhane in Hawaii
Audio: Hawaii Shippers’ Council Discusses the Jones Act on Guam Radio
CitiBike? No, SillyBike
War and Democide Author Rudy Rummel Remembered
Boylan: Why Republicans are a Good Bet in 2014
Boylan: ...it seldom pays to bet on Republicans to win in Hawaii. But 2014 may be different. Last fall’s rush by legislative Democrats to pass SB-1, the bill that made same-sex marriage legal in Hawaii, offended social conservatives across the state. They also were enraged by “Pono Choices,” a sex-education curriculum being tried out by the state DOE.
Whether they show up to wave signs, canvas, contribute and run for office themselves will decide whether the GOP increases its membership in the Legislature.
Both Aiona and Djou can envision pathways to higher office: Aiona, if Mufi Hannemann can lure some Democrats from that party’s gubernatorial candidate; Djou, if Democrats vying for Congress beat up each other enough in the primary election. Name recognition also could benefit both Aiona and Djou....
read ... Boylan
CD1 Dems Kim v Takai, Rest Trail
CB: 30% Kim, 24% Takai, 23% Undecided....
PDF: May 2014 1st Congressional District
Meanwhile: Charles Djou Beats them All
read ... Civil Beat Poll: Donna Mercado Kim Still Frontrunner
Did Hee poll show Ige favored by Dem primary voters?
ILind: Here’s a rumor nugget via Joan Conrow’s Kauai Eclectic blog:
Heard Sen. Clayton Hee ran a poll to see if he had a shot at guv. The pollsters floated various scenarios: Ige vs Abercrombie, Hee vs Ige, Hee vs Abercrombie, and a three-way of Hee, Abercrombie and Ige. And Ige kept coming up the winner. Though one politico compared Ige’s personality to three-day-old tako poke, bland may prove to be the tonic for voters weary of Abercrombie’s abrasive, antagonistic, Washington-style politics...
...A Civil Beat poll back in February found Ige and Abercrombie running neck and neck. Another poll for the Star-Advertiser about the same time reported similar results....
read ... Did Hee poll show Ige favored by Dem primary voters?
Tribalizing Hawaii
NRO: The Obama administration, perhaps aware of how offensive and impracticable the idea is, hasn’t even entered the proposal into the Federal Register. The White House has merely released an “advanced notice of proposed rule making,” which the Office of Management and Budget will have to decide whether to formalize and open for comment.
read ... Tribalizing Hawaii
CNHA Eager to Turn Hawaiians into Fake Indian Tribe
HNN: Michelle Kauhane, president of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, said it's a long time coming.
"It is extraordinary that the federal government is going through a process that would implement a policy that would be specifically for Native Hawaiians," she said.
It says, "Indian Tribe"
But Grassroot Institute of Hawaii president Kelii Akina said it's unconstitutional.
"The government cannot just create an Indian tribe. And Hawaiians were never an Indian tribe. We were citizens of all races in a constitutional monarchy," he said.
The Obama administration proposes an administrative rule. Supporters call it a path to federal recognition and a glimmer of hope in light of how the Akaka Bill has stalled in Congress.
In a statement OHA officials said: "We stand on the shoulders of kupuna who sought justice for generations, and urge the federal government to move forward with the creation of a pathway that Native Hawaiians can pursue if or when we choose."
"I think that this opportunity that's presented before us allows us to have real solutions to the issues that are facing Native Hawaiians -- our health care, our education, and out incarceration rate," Kauhane said.
"Who it benefits is so-called tribal leaders, who will have a greater hand in grabbing land, money and possibly gambling rights," Akina said.
Jon Osorio, University of Hawaii professor of Hawaiian Studies, said the danger is if the Interior Department tries to facilitate the creation of a state.
"I think that should spur the independence people to greater efforts, to call attention to the United States illegal presence in our islands," he said.
read ... CNHA Tribe?
Atheists Push DoE into Massive Rent Hike on Churches
HNN: "The only changes we've seen as a result of this lawsuit are detrimental changes to the schools," said attorney Erik Stanley of the Alliance Defending Freedom, which represents One Love Ministries and Calvary Chapel.
"In fact, One Love Ministries, has left the school and certain after school programs have been canceled."
In a 2012 letter from One Love Ministries to DOE Chairman Don Horner and Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi, One Love's Executive Director Gill Berger listed services like student mentoring, free landscaping and donated equipment that the One Love Ministries used to provide for Kaimuki High School.
But that arrangement ended after Kahle's lawsuit forced the DOE to increase rents from $850 to $1,000 a month to about $9,500 a month....
Judge Crandall did toss out a segment of the suit against One Love, which could reduce the amount the church could wind up owing....
News Release: Court Guts Atheist Lawsuit Against Oahu Churches
read ... Church rent lawsuit moves ahead
Subpoenas: Atheists to begin Harassing Churches, Schools Next Week
KHON: Judge Crandall dismissed the part of the suit involving One Love Ministries because it didn’t qualify under the state’s False Claims Act, since it was based on public information. (The ministry has since stopped renting from Kaimuki High School.)
According to Stanley, the part of the suit that’s moving forward deals with allegations that applications for special events weren’t filled out.
“We’re happy that the court dismissed what it did,” he said. “We think that when the allegations do come to light finally, that everything is going to be dismissed.”
“We start the discovery phase, where we actually get to question people about facts,” Bickerton said. He said subpoenas may start to be issued in a week’s time.
SA: Partial suit against churches can proceed, judge decides
read ... Portion of church vs. state lawsuit dismissed
Final Dog n Pony Show Before Regents Pick Lassner
HNN: "It is simply not pono, and for you to march ahead because you believe that you have the right and to ignore the public perception, is for you to do this at your own peril," said UH Manoa professor Vilsoni Hereniko.
"Reopening the search, in our opinion, the non-regents members of the committee, will not net us better candidates. As a matter of fact, we've probably pretty much flushed the pool," said Walt Niemczura, a member of the UH Presidential Selection Committee.
read ... UH presidential search wraps up
NCAA Sanctions Loom at UH Athletic Program
KHON: There's already a suspended assistant coach, a looming chance of NCAA sanctions, and on Tuesday, more news came out of Manoa.
Sources told Hawaii News Now that assistant coach Scott Fisher and director of operations Chris McMillian will not be returning to the program next season.
read ... Nothing to do with Lassner, No siree...
'Clean Energy' = Rate Hikes for 85% of Consumers
IM: The Hawai`i Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI) was widely endorsed by many.
Life of the Land raised red flags but few listened.
The Hawai`i Clean Energy Initiative stated that adding renewables to the system would increase costs to ratepayers in the short-run, but, in the long run, assuming HECO’s projections were correct, the rising costs of renewables would be cheaper than the prices would have been had we stayed dependent on oil-based electricity.
The State Legislature changed the avoided cost mechanism to allow payments for renewable energy projects that were higher than the avoided cost of fossil fuel-based electricity. (HRS 269-91 Definition of cost effective).
State Law defines renewables without any reference to financial cost or unintended side effects.
Now different impacts are being felt by three distinct sectors of society.
Eleven percent of ratepayers pay lower rates because they have rooftop solar.
Another perhaps four percent want rooftop solar but are being told the grid can’t handle it.
Eighty-five percent of ratepayers are not planning on having rooftop solar but are seeing their bills rise due to the increased use of renewable energy.
Now some are saying we should invest billions in upgrading the grid so the four percent can definitely see their bills go down.
The other eighty-five percent are being told that this is good, since greater transmission efficiency and more modern generators will eventually somehow lower their costs, assuming that all of the assumptions are correct.
read ... Inequality
Ige opposes public money for private preschool
WHT: The candidate challenging Gov. Neil Abercrombie in the Democratic primary opposes allowing public money to be spent on private preschool.
A constitutional amendment goes before voters in November to allow public money for private education. The amendment is a key element of Abercrombie’s plan to offer state-funded preschool to Hawaii’s 17,200 4-year-olds, using a combination of public and private preschool options.
Abercrombie’s re-election campaign has highlighted that early education is a top priority.
State Sen. David Ige, who is running against Abercrombie, had been undecided on the issue.
Reality: Quid pro Quo? HSTA Endorses Ige for Governor
TFA Teacher: Waves of educational change benefit Hawaii's students
SA: Ige takes stand against amendment on preschool funding
BJ: Keep Religion Out Of Science Education
read ... Ige opposes public money for private preschool
Insurance Companies Score $1500/year for 1000s of Quest Ghost Patients
SA: ...DHS is telling those who were dropped that they can get coverage through the Hawaii Health Connector, but even with subsidies, this is unaffordable to many. Officials said dropped clients can reapply for Medicaid and have eligibility reviewed within a day or two, using the new computerized system. However, avoiding the enrollment churn, if possible, would be preferable to putting clients through this stress.
It's clear that under the law DHS needs to pursue the required information on income and tax status for each account. Without updating files, the state was paying out public funds for some clients who may no longer qualify or who have insurance from another source. The state pays insurance companies $1,500 annually per beneficiary, so the cost of overpayment is significant.....
Reality: DHS: Thousands of ghost names on Hawaii Medicare, Medicaid Rolls
read ... Help poor keep Quest coverage
Ethics Comm to go after Legislative Allowances?
ILind: Les Kondo, the commission’s executive director, said the staff recommendations could be released by the end of this week, and will be considered by the commission at its next monthly meeting.
“We are going to send the draft recommendations to the legislative leadership, and make the draft publicly available on our website, with enough time for the Legislature and others to provide some thoughtful input for the commission,” Kondo said.
read ... Got Ethics?
Council resolution would reconfigure the board of directors governing the water system
CB: The Honolulu Board of Water Supply, under fire in recent years for rate hikes and errors in customer billing, is fighting back against an effort by the Honolulu City Council to exert greater control over its operations and change the composition of its policy-making board.
The agency’s Board of Directors voted Tuesday to reaffirm its opposition to City Council Resolution 14-63, which would increase the board from seven to 11 members and require that appointed board members have water expertise. Two of the 11 board members would be City Council members.
read ... All Wet
HPD No Explanation for Use of Force Increase
CB: The department won't provide a detailed explanation for the apparent spike in use of force incidents over the past few years. Police officials say flawed reporting procedures are partially to blame but won't talk about the annual reports.
read ... More Reports
Kaneohe neighbors concerned over halfway house with 18 residents
HNN: Some in the small Kaneohe neighborhood on Halemuku Way say their home is a prison because of a clean and sober house that is now allowed to have 18 people living there.
For the past nine years this house has been rented out to people with drug or alcohol issues. Some have been convicted felons. It was only supposed to have five people at a time, although there were five violations for having too many.
Now the City has approved a permit allowing 17 clean and sober residents and one live in manager.... They can't use drugs or alcohol or be violent or sex offenders. Although one sex offender did lie and live there a little while....
read ... Kaneohe neighbors concerned over halfway house with 18 residents
City pays millions each year in lawsuit settlements, many due to potholes
KHON: The city will have to pay a Palolo woman $25,000 after she hit a pothole while riding her bicycle. But that’s actually a small amount compared to what the city pays every year to settle lawsuits.
The easy answer would be fixing the potholes, but the problem is potholes don’t stay fixed for very long.
Sarah Porter was biking down Waialae Ave. near King St., when she quickly turned her head as a bus came close behind her. Next thing she saw was a pothole directly in her path. She hit it dead-on and flipped her bike.
“I just remember flying over the handlebars,” Porter said. “I think at some point I braced myself with my hand, with my arm, and the impact got my chin and my hand.”
Porter received 15 stitches on her chin and two of her teeth were shattered. She also fractured her elbow and a finger.
“There’s pain every day, but it’s not intense pain,” she said.
Porter sued the city and agreed on a settlement of $25.000. She told KHON2 most of that will pay her medical bills.
read ... Millions for Potholes
Kenoi’s travel bill: $13,968
HTH: As he has in recent years, Mayor Billy Kenoi spent on average one day a week someplace other than in the county he governs.
The mayor, in the 12 months ending April 1, was off-island on county business 52 days, racking up $13,968.87 in taxpayer-paid travel expenses, according to a Stephens Media Hawaii analysis of county credit card transactions provided by the county Department of Finance.
That compares to 53 days in the previous year, 66 days the year before that and 56 days in 2010. In 2009, Kenoi’s first year in office, he was gone 94 days — more than 25 percent of the time.
read ... Kenoi’s travel bill: $13,968
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